Matt Fagioli

What to expect at REtechSouth 09 | Atlanta | March 20, 2009

Inman News — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 17:06:45 -0600

I had a quick interview today with Matt Rains about the upcoming REtechSouth event in Atlanta.

Here's a bit of that conversation...

Real Estate Conferences in 2009

Inman News — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 18:35:22 -0600

It's the day after Christmas and I'm trying to finish up my business plan for 2009. In fact, I bet a lot of other real estate folks are doing something similar. Some of us have very detailed plans. Others, no so much! But, that 's another post all-together.

One of the "big rocks" in my business plan is to decide which industry events to attend. I go to a lot of events because I want to stay ahead of the information curve AND I want to get connected to lots of other real estate peeps from all around the US and beyond. I think Diamond Dwellings is doing a lot of things right, but oh man do we still have a lot to learn/implement/improve! I may not attend quite so many in 2009, but not to save money or anything like that (although that's a nice bonus). I'd go to everything I could possibly attend in 2009 BUT for the fact that I attended everything I could possibly go to in 2008. If you didn't make it to at least a couple events last year, you owe it to yourself and your business to show up in 2009 and find out a bit more about what's new.

Today, I ended up posting several comments on Bloodhoundblog behind a post that Brian Brady wrote. He was talking about their upcoming Unchained event set for April '09. He also commented about an event that I host in Atlanta (along with Brad Nix) called REtechSouth. Brad Coy and others were also involved talking about REbarCamp, which is a series of really cool events around the country. The next REbarCamp is happening in NYC the day before Inman Connect.

All that dialog over there made me think even more about the subject of industry training & conferences. So, I thought I'd write some more about it here. Then, I discovered that AR now has a channel specifically about conferences - but very little has been posted there so far. (now that I'm trying to actually post I don't see that catagory?)

Well, anyway, here you go...

This is a brief list of upcoming events that might be of interest. Not the whole year - and NOT a complete list either...

REbarCamp NYC | Jan 6th | New York

My 2 cents: Very casual format | fun & relaxed | FREE

NOTE: They do want you to RSVP if possible. So, here's that link.

Inman NYC | Jan 7,8,9 | New York

My 2 cents: Really great way to kick off your year | Global dialog | not cheap to attend at all.

NOTE: If you don't go to NYC then you HAVE to go to Inman Connect SF.

REtechSouth | March 20 | Atlanta

My 2 cents: Really great networking | Very low cost | Tons of information

NOTE: OK, i'm very biased about this one. I'm one of the organizers of this event

(hummm, where did that arrow come from?)

Bloodhound Unchained | April 28 - May 1 | Phoenix

My 2 cents: Intense, structured format | "Get it done" style | Quite Expensive

NOTE: I was at the Orlando event in Nov 2008 which was a totally different format.

Inman SF | July '09 | San Francisco

My 2 cents: I think this is the #1 event of the year | "everyone's there" | Cost is OK if you buy early

NOTE (same as NY): If you don't go to NYC then you HAVE to go to Inman Connect SF. Don't miss both.

REblogWorld | October 15 | Las Vegas

My 2 cents: Very different from all the other events | Totally different perspective | Cost is higher but includes BlogWorld

NOTE: This is the broad view of the entire online / social media marketing world - not just RE

NAR convention & Expo | Nov 2009 | San Diego

My 2 cents: Lots of stuff for sale | Many classes are "so 1995" | Good networking - huge crowd

NOTE: CRT and other factors are making this conference better & better for technology.

There's another REbarCamp coming up in Los Angeles. I think the date is in February? and, I imagine there will be several more barcamp locations throughout 2009. If you know any details about that, please post in the comments here.

In fact, if you know about any other conferences of interest, please post a link in the comments here.

Thank,

Matt

fyi, here's my comments from BHB today...

[This is what I liked about] Unchained/Orlando:

#1. The environment/format felt casual &; conversational
#2. Broad spectrum of quality subjects
#3. Low cost - apparently not the case for Phoenix
#4. 95% of the content seemed useful - I learned
#5. No one was selling me anything (directly)

Here’s some comments about Inman:

There is no better place to network within the business. No other event draws such a large set of bloggers, sharp marketers, thought leaders than Inman. NYC will be 800 people or more & SF is the bigger draw.

Even if you never attended the sessions, you’d meet a ton of people &; develop lots of new contacts. AND, many of the sessions are excellent.

To be fair, there seems to be a bit more obvious “selling from the stage” at Inman lately. But even so, I think it has very high value &; I’ll be there.

What about REtechSouth?

Our goal again this year is to blend all the best of Inman together with a bit more of the bar camp style (casual but with deep content).

We want: Big crowd (500). Low cost($125). Many Voices.

Like you, we’re all for “swipe-and-distribute”, so we’ve invited a few speakers from Orlando to show their stuff in Atlanta as well. You could file this under the its-a-small-world catagory also.

At our first REtechSouth event this year we had about 150 people. In’09 we expect as many as 500. So, the networking opportunity is going to be pretty solid compared to a small crowd event.

It looks like Phoenix will be a totally different kind of deep training - not the same kind of event as Orlando at all. Seems like an interesting idea, but my guess is that it’s gonna be a small group thing.

Nothing wrong with that for the purpose of hard core training &; planning, but the networking and “conference” piece might well be limited? Just no way to create that without some head count.

Plus, what about the voices that are not there in a small group? I’d like to hear from everyone and then decide what’s useful - as we’ll do at Inman.

Barcamp is a lot of fun, but I’m not sure how much actual work we’ll get done there in a day. Seems like Phoenix will be the exact opposite - all work, very limited play?

The good news is that all these events absolutely have their place. I think they compliment each other quite nicely.

Mind Mapping: The Greatest Asset for Advanced Attention Deficit Disorder. That's "A-A-A-D" :)

Inman News — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 19:05:49 -0600

Today was just another example of how I can get way off track playing around with a new tool or a new idea on the web. I just love to find a great gadget and test it out. Maybe I can use this one to map out all my other tools and gadgets!

Yesterday, Rick Frissell was on twitter and he tweeted something like "playing with some mind mapping tool" or something like that. Well that was all it took! I've heard people talk about mind mapping, but I had not done it myself. I always thought it was a great way to get ideas and concepts on "paper", so today I jumped in.

I can't actually remember the name/site that Rick was testing. I did some searches for mind mapping tools. I briefly reviewed 3 or 4 before deciding that iMindMap looked the coolest. Since that's the way I like to pick things, I downloaded their free trial and started goofing around with it. I quickly deturmined that while it was cool, it was probably too expensive for me at $100 (since this is just a toy at this point). Another friend on facebook also recommended MindJet so I took a look at that also.

The thing I was looking for was the most visually pleasing maps. After all, Mind mapping is "all about" visual learning! I wanted to be able to work quickly, develop complex ideas and add images & links.

So, i did a little more searching and found this awesome FREE & web-based tool (no app to download). It's called Mind42

Here's the mind map that I was able to create in about 30 minutes (never used this thing before). The green & orange text and arrows was added later using Skitch (my favorite mac app). If you click on the map image below, it will take you to the actual hosted mind map on Mind42.com

"100 Tools" for Better Real Estate Sales - What's Your Favorite?

Inman News — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 18:03:48 -0600

I'm starting a long term project. Hey, that is a really big deal for me because I'm usually working on stuff that's due 5 minutes from now. I think this has something to do with my extremely short attention span? To plan six months in advance is just NUTS for me. (wow, maybe i'm growing! :).

Anyway, Brad Nix and I are starting to work pretty hard on the Atlanta Real Estate Conference we call REtechSouth. Brad & I co-host the event. Our first event last spring was a huge success and we can't wait to do it again even bigger! It's gonna happen on March 20, 2009. Here's a link to sign up if you plan to attend.

(note: there is a vicious rumor - that I'm spreading - that the greatest AR party ever will happen that weekend in the ATL) (Just sayin').

So, my point...

I think the #1 thing that all of us RE.net agents get excited about is "the tools". We're all pretty much total geeks! Give us some new web-based tool and we get distracted for 30 to 60 minutes playing around with it to evaluate it's level of coolness.

Oh wait, is that just me? Am I the only one who will halt the most important project of my life for up to one hour to play with some new tool that I randomly find? OK, fine. If you are not really like that (denial?) then you may not want to help me with my project. If you're a geek-like-me, then please help me out.

So, here's the project...

"To develop a list of the top 100 web-based tools that can be used in real estate to improve your business"

This list of tools will be presented at REtechSouth 2009 and I just bet that will be the most attended session of the day! Of course, I also want to post the list here, there and everywhere.

But, I need your help. What's your #1 favorite tool? What other blog posts have you read about Great Online Tools? Could be an AR post or it might be from somewhere else entirely. Anyway, PLEASE COMMENT HERE and give me the goods. If I add the tool that you suggested to the presentation, I'll also give you attribution for it as well (free link love!).

So, here's a couple of my current favorites to whet your appetite...

Skitch .com - perhaps the absolute coolest tool for marking up still images and screenshots EVER.

Totally idiot-proof (an important feature for me).

Ustream.com - One of the new streaming video sites.

We used this at NAR 2008 to stream our panel session. (thanks to @realestatezebra :)

ooVoo.com - Video Chat, but so much more.

My favorite part of this is the resulting "interview" video recording you can create.

So, what's the coolest tool that you've found lately? Are you actually using it? Or it is just "cool but useless"?

Lemme know... and please reblog!

Web 2.0 and Social Media at NAR 2008 / Orlando

Inman News — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 14:47:53 -0500

Earlier today, I had a fun "video call" with Reggie from My Tech Opinion. (he's also now working at Cyberhomes as their social media guru). We were talking about NAR coming up next week in Orlando.

Diamond Dwellings is hosting a panel discussion at 11am Saturday on Web 2.0 and social media. Our session is inside the expo - so you don't have to get a full session pass to attend. All you need is your expo pass.

We're really excited to be hosting such an awesome group of talented RE.net speakers. All the details are at DiamondDwellings.com

Here's my call with Reggie.

How Long is Your Long Tail?

Inman News — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 09:42:01 -0500

Yesterday was a pretty wild day for me. I got a phone call from a friend & business associate that really tripped me out. On the call, my friend was questioning me about the boldness of my Christian faith and the way that I put that forth so strongly in the business world. I don't mind the dialog at all, but I was just surprised that it came up the way it did. He was specifically commenting about the Diamond Dwellings mission statement which proclaims that Jesus Christ is firmly at the center of our lives - and our business - here at Diamond Dwellings.

That dialog led to conversations with several other friends of ours in the RE.net world about whether religion (or politics) should be discussed in a business setting. (NOTE: Religion and Faith are NOT the same thing. I actually HATE religion and rules and guilt and "the law". But, I LOVE God and love my faith)

Anyway, the discussion went on and it seemed to be the consensus of the others in the group that "religion" & politics should be left out of the conversation in business environments in order to appeal to the largest possible audience and I guess to avoid any sticky discussions about exactly what we do or do not believe about it all.

So, now I've had 24 hours to think about it (at length) and I have to say that I totally and completely disagree. What's more, I think that it's ironic that open-minded, forward-thinking "2.0 people" would feel this way. When I first drank the 2.0 coolaid about 18 months ago, everyone was talking about "The Long Tail". The point was (and still is) that your online blogging & personna creates a very clearly defined impression for the world of exactly who you are & what you think. As far as I'm concerned, that also includes religion, politics, sexual orientation, marital status and every other thing that defines "me". All of it boils down to transparency - a trait that we all seem to pay homage to here in the RE.net world. It seems to me that the more you limit your own transparency (to safe subjects?) the less you will benefit from the true "long tail"

In a perfect world, that long tail definition of who you are should lead you directly to relationships with exactly those customers and business partners who know who you are & want to do business with you, specifically, because of who you are.

I don't know about you, but that is exactly what I want. And, I'm willing to take the risk of total transparency in order to follow the long tail search to it's conclusion and find "my customer(s)".

A note about being exclusionary... ...I am in NO Way saying that you should only do business with those who think the way you do. I would love to do business with anyone and everyone of all beliefs and backgrounds. If I'm willing to accept what you think and believe, you should be willing to accept me no matter what I think and believe. If you are not able to do that, I don't think I want to do business with you anyway.

To my friends who were on the call yesterday... ...I love you guys & I'm not trying to stir up any ill will between us. I just really think that this subject needs open discussion and debate.

To all of you in the A/R world... ...I'd really like to hear your opinions. So please comment.

A Little Political Humor

Inman News — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 20:31:12 -0500

Thought you'd love this video. I thought it was great for Republicans AND Democrats alike. Just a lite laugh "at ourselves"

Ideas are Advancing Rapidly - r u?

Inman News — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 05:40:35 -0500

I watched a few videos this morning from the TED conference. I'm always tempted to make it seem like "I've know this for a while" (about any cool website or idea or concept) but - truth is - until this morning, I didn't know what the TED conference was! It was something that Seth Godin mentioned in his new book, "Tribes" (more about that in a minute). I checked out TED to see what it was. It is an invitation only conference of really smart people with the latest and greatest thoughts & ideas. What's cool is how all these thoughts and ideas are made available on this website. It's even more cool that the sharing of thoughts and ideas is happening at such an exceedingly high level. It made me think about why we started Diamond Dwellings. Why do we care about sharing ideas?

This TED video is about amazingly powerful "hacks" being done with the remote from a Nintendo Wii

That idea doesn't really have anything to do with real estate. It just makes the point that ideas - especially technology driven ideas - are advancing rapidly. My friend and new business associate, Lane Bailey, has a great knack for bringing analogies back to real estate. So, I'll attempt to do that here with this thought-line. Lane, let me know if you think I landed it AT ALL.

There's three thoughts here that all tie back to Real Estate -- and specifically what Diamond Dwellings is doing.

Thought #1

Ideas & technical advancement are exploding at an exponentially accellerating pace

Thought #2

The rate at which you can find, absorb, integrate and manage ideas has a huge impact on your business (and your life)

Thought #3

A Tribe (like AR?) helps everything happen faster and makes it easier & perhaps more fun for everyone.

Ideas & Technical advancement

We all see it. In fact, that's why we're here on Active Rain and in so many other online environments. We're trying to keep up with the thought leaders and have a sense that we "know what's going on". That's what I want - to be connected to what's happening and always be with the leading edge of what's possible.

Execution is everything

Success in business or sport or anything else is all about execution. Sound obvious, but we don't talk about this nearly enough. If you look at 99% of the agents and brokers out there, they have way more information and understanding compared to that which they have actually implimented. Agree? They may not know all there is to know, but they do know the "next steps" (whatever that is for them at this moment). The question is "Can they actually make it happen -- or will they just talk about it". I don't know about you but I find that actual execution is 100 times harder than finding and even absorbing the ideas. It might be a great idea to have some help to execute.

The tribe is "where it's at"

Ever join a support group for anything? People join in order to find like minded people who are dealing with the same "issues". They form a tribe or a brotherhood, and they help each other through to the next level TOGETHER.

That's what Diamond Dwellings is doing. We're building a tribe of RE.net brothers (and sisters) all united under one brand. Working as a family of connected hyper-local markets and changing the way we do real estate sales & marketing.

One thing is real clear. We don't have ALL the answers or ideas. And, if we did, there would be new answers and ideas before the "ink" is dry on this post! The trick is to part of the right tribe that's seeking the new information all the time and working together to execute the best of the best.

Ever Feel Helpless & Useless?

Inman News — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 09:29:37 -0500

I thought twice or three times about writing this. But, I absolutely hate NOT writing (or saying) what I feel & what I'm really thinking. That's just part of my nature. It's a blessing and a curse at the same time. It's a blessing for me and for others around me in the sense that you always know that what's coming out of my mouth (or through my fingertips) is exactly what's in my head too. It's a curse because I feel compelled to share things that others would not share for fear that they might be percieved as weak or "less than brilliant" or whatever.

This morning I just feel useless!!!

I get up probably 350 days a year and I'm "on purpose" and "on target" - probably way too much of the time.

But today, I'm thinking "Oh man, I'm not sure it matters what I do! These problems are far too big for me to effect".

Before you get started with a helpful comment of encouragement, ask yourself if you ever really feel this way? Do you admit it to yourself? How 'bout to others? How 'bout to all of Active Rain!

I really do have a point here...

This is some bad, bad stuff going on in our business right now. I'm not suggesting that we all go put our heads in the sand and quit. Not at all. In fact, that's the last thing I would ever do or suggest that you do. We need to keep up the fight. Perserverance is everything. BUT...

Is it ok if I don't feel like it today? Is it ok to admit to myself and the world that I don't have the answers? Is it ok to share my heart on AR?

I think it is! and, even if you don't think so, I'm gonna do it anyway!

ps If this resonates with you, be encouraged. The Lord is in control and - no matter what - it really will be ok.

ps again... For those of you who like to write the "high and mighty" posts about how you have it all together, I challenge you to show your true self.

Volume Rises First - Then Prices Follow

Inman News — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 05:00:16 -0500

I've been involved with Gwinnett County Real Estate for over 5 years now. One of the things I've always found interesting is that transaction volume rises or falls FIRST - then prices follow (even if slowly). Even when things are going well, you still see seasonal and cyclical changes in volume and pricing. The trend holds true in any market. In today's crazy market, it's critical to know what to look for in terms of the eventual recovery (and yes, it will ultimately recover!).

So, the answer is absolutely this "watch for increased closing volume".

This is an awesome chart. Thanks to 3 Oceans Real Estate for the chart. I wish I'd found it years ago because it really illustrates the reality of all real estate markets. Not only the Atlanta real estate market or the Gwinnett real estate market but any local real estate market anywhere in the country. Right now we're in either a Phase 5 or a Phase 6 market. That's bad news but it's good news too. Bad news, obviously, because prices are down and volume is flat. But, it's very good news because we're moving toward a strong Phase 1 market again - hopefully soon! That said, I honestly think a Phase 1 market is 2 years away - given what I'm seeing today. However, there's lots of money to be made buying real estate in this market. It sounds cliche, but Phase 6 markets are the ultimate time to buy. The smart money is buying real estate right now.

Note: "sides" means 1 side of a transaction (i.e. buyer side or seller side). So, sides=volume.

: Real Estate Market Cycle

Placed Here on AR for Safe Keeping... ...Laminin is Some Amazing Stuff!

Inman News — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 10:42:22 -0500

Not sure if I ever posted this here on AR (don't think so?). Anyway, I saw this amazing video about 5 or 6 months ago. i posted it on one of my sites, but now that site has been replaced with "the new MattFagioli.com site". I didn't want to loose track of it or forget about it so I'm posting it here so I know where I put it!!

This is a few minutes long and it takes a minute to get to the point. BUT, it's worth the wait. If you hang with Louie to the end, you'll get the blessing! It's amazing to see how Jesus literally holds it all together. Enjoy.

The Fall Colors Are About To Shine at Highlands, NC

Inman News — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 09:57:25 -0500

I spent the last few days in western North Carolina talking with folks about Diamond Dwellings and gaining perspective on the local markets up there. Our new real estate franchise model is really the perfect fit for some of these unique towns. I guess it's because there seems to be so much content to write about. There's no limit to the subject matter and it all seems so inviting.

Some of the places I visited included Asheville, Waynesville (and some other "villes" too). I got to spend some time with fellow Tomato blogger, Susie Blackmon. She introduced me to so many great people while I was there too. I also drove down through Franklin, Cashiers and then stayed for the night in Highlands, NC at a pretty amazing place called The Old Edwards Inn.

To call it an Inn just doesn't begin to describe it though. It's more of a "compound" or a resort. The old "Inn" sits right on the corner of the main road in downtown Highlands. But then the rest of this sprawling spa complex extends for a huge city block to the east (I think) and then for a block to the rear. I guess the whole area is not more than an acre? But, to have a hotel/spa complex that covers an entire acre sitting right in the downtown area of a resort town like Highlands, NC is pretty amazing! I'm on a life-long quest to find the best possible room -- and then get it for the absolute lowest possible price. This place was a smokin' deal for the price -- given the fact that I enjoyed one of the finest rooms I've ever had in my life! Next time I'm in Highlands, I'm sure to come back.

I shot this photo near Highlands, NC. I have to say that the area seemed to have some of the most interesting terrain & dramatic water features. It might just be that I happened to find it there, but Highlands seems to have been blessed with some things you just can't build! The fall colors are just starting to peek out -- as you can see. If I was a betting man, I'd bet that Oct 15th or Oct 20th will be the absolute best time to visit the North Carolina Mountains if you want to see God's amazing work in the trees.

RE Tech Conferences - Efficient way to capture tech information.

Inman News — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 20:43:40 -0500

Jason's got it right ( I guess I'm a little biased?)

I also kinda like the double "g's" in "Faggioli"

might have to change it.

Anyway, don't miss REtechSouth 2009 coming up next March.

It's gonna be awesome stuff

Via Jason Berman:

Last weekend REBlogWorld launched. RE Tech folks came together, all skill levels, all ages.

In my opinion, Conferences, Summits, & Meet-ups are the most effective way to grow your business. Capturing ideas, tips, tricks, & research material is will keep you sharp and your business moving forward.

The Trade-off

Spend months researching online OR immerse yourself for a few days and accelerate the discovery process.

Work alone or build relationships and get there faster.

Here are two events on my radar:

REBarCampHouston - October 22, 2008 - A gathering born from the desire to share and learn in an open environment. Mike Price of MLBroadcast is the driving force behind this effort and I commend him for taking the ball up and bringing it to the Houston RE Tech community. Mike is one of the most sincere folks in RE Tech. What you see is what you get, I'm hoping to get there if my schedule works out.

RETechSouth - March 20, 2009 - Matt Faggioli of Diamond Dwellings & Brad Nix of Maxsell.net are the organizers of this event. In its second iteration this event should grow in both attendance and value. From what I heard, they pulled off a fantastic inaugural event and I expect Matt & Brad to deliver even more value the second time around. Looking at the list of speakers so far; I'm impressed.

Now is the time to jump in and learn. Don't be left behind.

What Are Your Questions for RE Blog World?

Inman News — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 15:37:37 -0500

I'm headed out to Vegas tomorrow for REblogWorld. Can't wait to get there and see a bunch of friends and make some new ones too!

I get to moderate the panel about video & I'm also part of the MU blogging panel so I'm working on some questions for the video panel AND for the multi-user blogging panel (a.k.a. "broker blogs"). So, I thought I'd open it up to comments here. If you could be in the audience on Friday (and let me know if you are actually going to be there)...

What Questions would you have for the panel???

So, I'm asking this question specifically on two subjects:

#1. Questions about video and how to use it for real estate

#2. Questions about multi-user blogging and how to make it work in real estate.

Got questions or comments? Let 'em fly!

We Will Never Forget

Inman News — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 08:30:26 -0500

Hamilton Mill Business Networking is Tomorrow (Thursday) Sept. 11, 2008

Inman News — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 07:39:36 -0500

If you do business in the Hamilton Mill area, we want to invite you to our open networking "after hours" event tomorrow! We'll have 100 to 150 local business people there & we'd love to connect with you too! Here's a quick video about our group.

For more details, visit HamiltonMillDwellings.com

REblogWorld Rocks Las Vegas Next Week!

Inman News — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 06:23:09 -0500

Getting pretty excited about REblogWorld next week. There's an impressive list of speakers & participants. I'm a big fan of many of the speakers -- even though I haven't met about half of them yet. On my "gotta meet" list are: Mariana Wagner, David Gibbons, Kelley Koehler & Dan Green. Those are just the few that I know are going to be there. If you are going to be there, please comment on this post so I can put you on my "gotta meet" list too. If you saw my post a few weeks ago about REblogWorld you know that I think this kind of training is just the most important thing you could ever do for your business in real estate. Hope to see you there!

If you haven't signed up yet, there's still time. Here's the registration link.

DON'T FORGET: There's a discount for active rainers! Discount code:ARVIP

New Gwinnett Medical Imaging Center at Hamilton Mill

Inman News — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 15:42:34 -0500

Gwinnett Medical Center is opening a new imaging center right here at Hamilton Mill. Now you can get an MRI, Ultrasound and more -- right around the corner with little or no waiting time! It's called GMC Imaging Center at Hamilton Mill and they are located right in the same complex with Diamond Dwellings (2078 Teron Trace -- behind 12Stone Church on Hwy 124).

Here's a list of features for the new facility:

Board Certified radiologists
Licensed & certified professional staff
Fast & easy registration
On-site lab
Mammography, bone density, MRI, CT, ultrasound, X-ray and EKG
All Digital Imaging

This weekend is the grand opening carnival with lots of fun stuff for the kids, etc.

Here's a link to the New GMC Imaging Center website and also the main hospital site.

Their phone number is 678.312.8600

I'd Like to Nominate Kevin Boer for NAR President

Inman News — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 19:55:44 -0500

Recently, I was able to witness the filming of Kevin's rant that ultimately lead to his plans to run for NAR president. This was filmed at Inman SF connect last month. In Kevin's defense, there was a good bit of encouragement involved.

The Gluttony of RE Conference Overload!

Inman News — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 10:32:03 -0500

Before we get off on the wrong track here. I am NOT saying "don't go to conferences". In fact, it's quite the opposite. I'm a huge fan of these events (in moderation) as you can tell from my recent post about REblogWorld coming up in Vegas next month. I think you are really missing it if you don't go.

You really do NEED to attend a minimum of one great conference in a year if you want to keep up with the changes in our 2.0 world. I got one comment on my ReblogWorld post from a guy who said...

"I was just at Inman, so I'm not going to Reblogworld" and that's fine.

He probably got both ears full at Inman about what's going on and how to make effective use of it.

This post is really for this person...

..."I have not been anywhere in 2 years but I just can't afford to go right now".

Guess What... ...YOU NEED TO GO ...and you really need to go "right now".

So, I thought I'd just list out the upcoming events that might be useful. Please pick atleast one:

REblogWorld, Las Vegas , Sept 19, 2008 (this is coming up quick so get signed up here)

BloodHound Unchained, Orlando, Nov 7, 2008 (this overlaps the NAR schedule)

NAR, Orlando Nov 7 to 10, 2008 (not very "2.0" but they have added some good stuff to the schedule)(like Dustin Luther)

Inman Connect NYC (in NYC) Jan 7 to 9, 2009

REtechSouth, Atlanta, March 20, 2009 (super best conference ever! according to Pat Kitano

If you do attend NAR, make sure to also attend Bloodhound Unchained in order to get "the full 2.0 effect" of your travels

If you miss all the 2008 events, REtechSouth next March will deliver a multi-track event this time so that there will be great content for "101 bloggers" as well as advanced topics. Plus, it's currently the least expensive conference (you can still get earlybird pricing of $99)

So, there you have it. 6 months worth of great 2.0 training opportunities! You don't need to be at all of them (sinful conference gluttony) but you REALLY need to hit atleast one of them.

If I missed anything, please let me know (i purposely skipped the state conferences because there are ssssooo many)

Note of disclosure: I don't have a financial interest in any of these events -- except REtechSouth (i'm the co-host of that event along with Brad Nix) I'm also speaking at REblogWorld about multi-user blogging & I'll be moderating a panel there about video in real estate.

The Big Prize for breaking 10,000 points

Inman News — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 07:27:01 -0500

Dear Jon & Matt & "Y'all at AR"

Thanks for sending me the fantastic prize for breaking the huge barrier at 10,000 points! It feels amazing to go from complete obscurity and move toward only slightly less obscurity. An amazing accomplishment really. I won't spend it all in one place, don't worry about that. I am curious though... ...If this 10k prize is so incredible, I can't imagine what you get for 100,000 points or 200,000 points?

For now, I'll just bask in the honor of "5 digit glory" and dream of the day that I might achieve 6 digit nirvana.

REblogWorld Discount for Active Rainers

Inman News — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 17:56:26 -0500

I've attended a lot of RE conferences in the last 5 years. I always go thru this odd rollercoaster of feelings before and after each event. In the days before the event, I invariably have this thought...

..."I don't have time for this. Why am I going again?"

During & immediately after each event, I swing completely over into...

..."OMG, I'm so glad I'm here! The last 15 things I learned are really going to move my business forward in ways that I didn't think of before"

So, you'd think that after 5+ years of doing this little exercise that I'd just realize upfront that it's going to be awesome and just stay committed to the plan, etc. But, like all Realtors, I'm super hyper-busy. It's always very very difficult to break away from my daily routine and attend an event. It's time & money with "unknown results". I always have this fear that I'm going to waste time and (God forbid) miss a phone call!

Well not this time. I'm totally pumped for REblogWorld in Vegas & I refuse to allow "fear of loss" to enter into the picture.

There's a BIG trend developing in our RE 2.0 world.

By being part of these events, I've noticed a very important new trend in the business. We're quickly developing two sets of agents & brokers. The "have's" (the information) and the "have nots". In fact, it's really the "I get it's" and the "I don't get it's" (man, that is some really terrible grammar!) The agents & brokers who see the power of blogging, video, social media & other 2.0 tools are slowly becoming seperated from "the rest of the world" in real estate. This trend is continuing and excellerating. At some point, 2.0 Realty (or is it 2.0 reality) will be all that's left! Are you staying on top of it?

If you are in the camp that says "I'm still not sure this stuff is important", attendance at events like this will change your mind. It will open your eyes to this whole world that you've been missing for too long. I promise that you will get a TON out of the experience.

So, it's time to get ready for REblogWorld next month in Las Vegas. If you have not attended a 2.0 real estate conference this year, this is the one you should jump in on. REblogWorld is really unique because it's actually sort of an add-on conference or a sister-conference for BlogWorld. Blog World is a much larger event (1500+ attendance last year) that is not just for real estate pros. BlogWorld is bringing together internet marketers from all different businesses. I'm pretty excited about it because of the potential to expand my "worldview" about blogging & other internet marketing by getting a glimpse of what's happening all over the world, in many different industries.

REblogWorld is set for Friday, September 19th in Las Vegas. Your admission for REblogWorld includes admission for the weekend BlogWorld conference too.

Todd Carpenter & Jason Berman are doing a fantastic job with the planning for this event. Can't wait to see it all come together!

Woops, almost forgot... ...AR discount code is ARVIP (tell 'em Fagioli sent you!)

Hamilton Mill Area Listing Now $200k Discount in Princeton Pointe

Inman News — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 11:53:51 -0500

If you have been down Patrick Road, then you have probably seen Princeton Pointe subdivision. It is an European "Old World" style community of thirteen beautiful homes. John Lewis and Bobby Greenway, well known Atlanta home builders, are motivated to close out the subdivision. Only One Home Remains available at a Close Out unbelievable price! The sales price is now at $649,900 -- reduced over $200,000! You may want to take another drive down Patrick Road to Princeton Pointe if you have any interest in buying the Best Deal in the Hamilton Mill area! Please contact Matt Fagioli at 678-279-4707 or Wendy Russell with Diamond Dwellings Realty at 678-279-4709. Let us help you make one of the best buys in your lifetime.

Google says "Your House Doesn't Exist" unless you Rank

Inman News — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 06:52:42 -0500

We've been working on this Hamilton Mill website for about 9 or 10 months now. It took about 6 months worth of hard work, but after the first 6 months, we found that we consistently ranked at or very near the #1 or #2 spot in the Google search results for "Hamilton Mill". We're very proud of this accomplishment, but it's actually only step one in the process of helping clients sell their home (or buy one).

This site (like all our sites) is designed to provide comprehensive real estate information about this exact area. It's pretty obvious why we do this. We know that providing lots of great information to potential home buyers (and sellers) in the area will ultimately lead to more sales for Diamond Dwellings.

One of the key elements to internet marketing is Search Engine Optimization (SEO). SEO is kind of hard to define -- yet the results are very easy to define. The #1 goal of all SEO work is to "win the search results" on Google, Yahoo and other search portals. Since most people only look at the top 3 or 4 results from a typical search, you basically don't exist unless you rank at the very top for the key search terms on a specific subject.

I recently hired a new franchise attorney to help with the Diamond Dwellings franchise agreement. I hired him for 2 reasons. Both reasons are essential.

#1. He was easy to find online.

#2. He had "the right answers" when I contacted him

So, I started with a simple search for "Franchise Attorney". Google gave me 436,000 results (no, really) Then I called 3 or 4 of the top ranked attorneys (ranked by Google). Then, since Google said they exist, I evaluated those 3 or 4 based on response time to my inquiry -- and most importantly based on what they actually said when we talked (how well they represented their expertise, etc)

Search results are the critical 1st step in the process of finding the right buyer for your home (assuming the buyer is searching online for this area). Step two involves true salesmanship & experience to close the deal once the lead has been acquired.

This post was originally posted on HamiltonMillDwellings.com

New Digs for Diamond Dwellings office at Hamilton Mill, Dacula, Ga.

Inman News — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 08:11:10 -0500

Well, we're just about set up at the new Diamond Dwellings office at Hamilton Mill in Dacula, Ga. We just moved a few steps down the road from our old office. So, we're located in the new Hamilton Mill Station complex (12Stone Church is at the front of the complex). To find our office, head down the hill toward the back of the complex (it's only one street). We're in the last building on the right.

We moved over here to be part of the new Mill Meeting Place "business club" concept. It's a place where small business can really thrive. Can't wait to see it all come together here.

Our new street address is: 2078 Teron Trace, Suite 250, Dacula, Ga. 30019

Here's a few pictures of the new place:
Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.